WITH just 998cc and three cylinders under the bonnet potential customers could be forgiven for wondering just how well Toyota's new Aygo will perform.

Official figures show the top speed is just under 100 miles per hour, which is respectable for such a small car, but the 0-62mph acceleration time of more than 14 seconds might raise a few eyebrows.

In truth, however, everyday motoring conditions almost seem to make that time irrelevant as the Japanese company's smallest car copes perfectly well with the ebb and flow of traffic and the little car is not normally found wanting.

Okay if you find an open road and put your foot down as hard as you can in each gear you will certainly notice progress is not rapid, but then people don't buy Aygos if they are seeking a performance car.

The Aygo is perfect for towns and cities where it's quite happy to nip in and out of the smallest of spaces with enough zip to satisfy the most demanding of drivers. It even has a nice throaty roar to its exhaust, a feature which has been deliberately engineered into the engine intake system.

Surprisingly the little car also performs well on the motorway and delivers good stability at high speeds - unlike a lot of small cars - and a refined, quiet ride.

And when it comes to parking the Aygo's diminutive 11ft 4in length makes you appreciate why people opt for small cars. And with this one you get a reversing camera which helps you manoeuvre into the smallest of spaces.

The Aygo shares its bodyshell and numerous other components with the new Citroen C1 and the Peugeot 108.

Individual styling features, however, ensure that each of the three models are easily distinguishable from each other, with Toyota opting for the most radical look.

Unlike on the Citroen and Peugeot the "face" of the Aygo is dominated by a large X design, with a vast choice of colours available to allow customers to personalise their vehicle.

And with this car, personalisation is the name of the game, with a wide variety of features available.

Features like a contrasting roof colour will cost you just under £200 while the addition of black alloy wheels will set you back £499.

For the interior you can order an INtense pack which gives you a body-coloured layout throughout the car or an INspire one with its glossy black dashboard and body coloured highlights.

And the nice thing is that if, after you have been driving the car for a few years you want an interior makeover, you can change features like air vents, gear lever surround and instrument panel to give you a totally new colour scheme.

Given the size of the Aygo the interior space is quite generous, even in the back. You might struggle a little when going on holiday, however, as the luggage area is definitely designed more for the weekly shop than coping with suitcases. Having said that it offers 29 litres more than the previous model.

The bonus of a small car is small running costs, and the Aygo boasts impressive economy of almost 70 mile per gallon not to mention the fact that there is nothing to pay in road tax.